what do i take for granted...
Posted by sirdidymus37 on Jul 29, 2009 · Member since Dec 2006 · 516 posts
i thought this might be a nice thread to provide some insight to ourselves on things that we take for granted but that maybe we should give more notice to, it can be anything from something common like:
i take for granted that when i wake up in the morning and open my eyes, that i'll have eyesight with with to see the physical world
or something more obscure like:
i take for granted, when i get on the bus in the morning - that it will get me to my destination w/o fail
Electricity. After reading Dominique Lapierre's "City of Joy", for some strange reason what struck me was how dependent we Westerners are on electricity. And I experienced this during a rolling blackout a few years back. High summer, temps of 48ºC, and no electricity. No fans, no AC, no TV, no music, not even light to read by since I had to put down the blinds to keep out the sun because of no fans. I couldn't get a cold drink--no fridge.
Running water. Having lived through several droughts when the City turned off the water from 4 PM to 6 AM, every time I turn the tap and water comes out, I am drop-to-your-knees thankful. (The first time they cut the water off at 4 PM was my wedding day.)
From 1995 to 1998, not one drop of rain fell where I live.
Definitely, running water.
awesome thread. thanks, sirdidy.
i take for granted the abundance of food around me. i don't worry about hunger the same way others in the world do. i try to take a moment to express gratitude before and after each meal, to remind myself of how privileged I am and my responsibility to take care of my fellow beings.
I take for granted the cleanliness of my drinking water and my tap water (which I've deemed too "dirty" to drink!) that keeps us hydrated, clean and cool.
I take for granted my educational opportunities, thinking of them more as rights than privilege when many around the world still cannot read or write in their native tongue.
i used to take my mother for granted, but then when i matured away from teenagehood i realized that she is a person with feelings and i definitely don't want to hurt her or blow her off. now we are super close. i also realize how hard it was for her to have kids as a teenager and not only finish high school, but also go on to college full time to be a registered nurse, keep at least one (sometimes two) full time job(s), AND raise both of us.
i take brittney for granted at times. she does more than i acknowledge. i should show my appreciation more. my underwear would still be dirty if it wasn't for her dedication to doing the laundry.
i used to take loved ones for granted, assuming they'd always be there. since i moved to washington less than two years ago, i've lost 10-15 loved ones without even getting the option to say good bye. now i make more of an effort to stay connected and to reconnect with people who i haven't kept up with over the last few years. and i tell everyone that i love them and miss them.
i have never taken money or material possessions for granted. those i never had growing up. in fact, we were so poor that we didn't have hot water or tooth brushes for three years. to wash my hair, about once every week or two my mom would boil water on the stove and mix it in a tub of cold water and wash my hair in the sink. other than that, i pretty much only bathed when i went to my daddy's house... every other weekend. and i have had SO MANY fillings in my teeth because of the cavities i collected or started back then. and although we technically had plumbing, it just went out through a pipe into the land behind our trailer (on the farm)... so we weren't allowed to flush toilet paper... so after wiping, you had to put it in the trash can. we also couldn't flush the toilet most of the time. it definitely didn't smell pretty in our bathroom.
i used to take for granted my naturally nappy, coiled hair. so for years i permed, straightened, teased, and ultimately DESTROYED it. now i am revisiting that natural hair, and am growing dreadlocks. i know the journey will take just as long as it took destroying it to get it back---maybe even longer--- but at least i started it.
...and i regret taking my grandmother for granted, who tried to tell me this when i was a little girl. and i regret not telling her im sorry before she died...and letting her see this epiphany within me.
My wonderful loving parents. :)>>>
My wonderful loving parents. :)>>>
I also often take for granted that my parents were good parents, loved me no matter what, instilled some great values in me, and always had more than enough money to give me everything they thought I should have growing up. It's hard to appreciate parents enough once you're old enough to see them as fallible people. ;)
i take for granted that my carwreck wasn't as bad as some...and that my problems from it aren't the worst case scenario. it's just hard, though, since i feel like in a lot of ways it ruined my life. it happened almost two years ago and i'm still feeling super anxious this morning because i have to drive to oklahoma.
when i see stories of people who were worse off after their wrecks, i feel like a brat.
i realized that i take "being in a relationship" for granted, not my gf, but just the notion that i'm in a relationship.
I added a friend on FB that i hadn't chatted with in over a year. He commented on the fact that i'm now engaged. When i read his comment i was like "oh yeah, i am in a relationship!". Being involved with Shelley just feels so natural, being with her - to me, is akin to breathing - it's not something you think about, you just do it.
So every now and again i have to step outside that box and realize "Hey, i'm blessed to be in this wonderful relationship"
:)>>>
I take for granted that I will always have a place to live. A corner of the world I have a right to occupy.
And that my beloved will still be alive every time I wake up.
As my world gets smaller, I realise how much I have taken for granted that there will always be someone, somewhere, who claims a relationship to me.
I take for granted that my brain and body will always respond as I want them to.
I take for granted that my brain and body will always respond as I want them to.
this. i always feel so fortunate when i hear about people who are paralyzed or who got worse brain injuries than i got. mine just makes me a little ditzy and forgetful. some people completely change.
here's one i totally take for granted, something seemingly so simple yet it adds richness to my life to an unimagineable degree - i couldn't imagine having to be without this ... the ability to read.
here's one i totally take for granted, something seemingly so simple yet it adds richness to my life to an unimagineable degree - i couldn't imagine having to be without this ... the ability to read.
Yeah, and the sight to do it with. Last night my allergies were really bothering my eyes, all blurry etc. I took my glasses OFF to read, and even so. It struck me how lost I would be if I couldn't do my own reading. Audio books just aren't the same. I have discovered that with books I love, I can get attached to the very typeface. I read one particular book literally to pieces, and when I bought a new copy (new edition, new typeface and size) it just wasn't the same...I mean, the story was there, but it "felt" different.
We have a proverb in Spain: Two eyes for one whole life. It means take care of them.
I take for granted that my brain and body will always respond as I want them to.
This is completely truthful, although I do think about it every day.
I take not having heartburn for granted. Because I've got it now and its horrible - and there's nothing I can do about it.....